


Bruises

by hiraethnefarious



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angry Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Bisexual Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Protective Jughead Jones, Protective Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Slow Romance, Soft Sweet Pea (Riverdale)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25455322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiraethnefarious/pseuds/hiraethnefarious
Summary: Sweet Pea is fascinating to Jughead. He wants to know him, all of him, but it seems every time he gets closer, Sweet Pea pulls away and leaves more questions than answers in his wake. Jughead will never give up on him and will do his best to find out the truth about Sweet Pea, especially why the tallboy is seemingly always covered in bruises. He also likes to hold his hand. Maybe, he is trying to heal his heart, but truthfully, Sweet Pea means more to Jughead then he would like to admit.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Jughead Jones/Sweet Pea
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is absolutely non-canonical and just some fluffy stuff & angst I wanted to explore with these two characters! Enjoy reading!

Jughead knows Sweet Pea, painfully, painfully well. He can always tell when the tall boy was happy, pissed off, or worried- though Sweets would go to his grave trying to hide that. Sweet Pea doesn't exactly hide his emotions too well, but he can often be convincing to everyone around him that he is just some arrogant fighter who will do anything to punch a Northsider in the face. But Jughead knows him better than that; the small twitch in his eye, the tiny frown on his lips, he sees everything, and he can read Sweets like a book, and today, he is angry. Jughead is staring at him, wrinkled brow, and trying to figure out what is bothering the tallboy. He is sitting behind Toni, his head downcast, as he scrapes a pencil against his desk. He hasn't touched any food all day, and this lunch period is no different. He has barely said a word to anyone, and Toni and Fangs exchange glances throughout lunch, before flickering their eyes back to the silent Serpent. Toni catches Jughead staring at him too, but she quickly shakes her head before tucking a piece of her pink hair behind her ear and standing, squeezing Sweet Pea's arm tightly before she walks out- no doubt sneaking out to visit a certain red-haired Vixion.

Jughead huffs before grabbing his bag and popping up to his feet, ignoring Fang's eyes. He is getting to the bottom of whatever is making Sweets upset, not because he cares really- just curious. Just as he looks at the open the door to the hallway, he sees the slight blonde girl standing there. He feels a lump in his throat as Betty offers a half-hearted smile before quickly scurrying away with Veronica. The breakup had happened two months ago, and neither he nor Betty had spoken since. Jughead cringes as he glances back to the calendar, noting how it is only one month before Christmas. He hates this holiday, so instead of focusing on his issues, he is going to distract himself with Sweet Pea. The bell rings, and the three Serpents all look up at the loud sound.

"Come on, boys," Fangs quips and rises to his feet, shaking his leather jacket before turning up the collar and shoving his hands in his pockets, walking out quickly to chase Lucy- the target of his new attraction. Sweet Pea stands, but Jughead swings around and places his hand on Sweet Pea's plaid shirt, making the tallboy raise an eyebrow.

"Let's go," Jughead murmurs before walking to the door, waiting for Sweets to join him, but he has remained still in his spot, yet not really looking at Jughead but instead staring at his hands. His dark eyes look so tired that it's almost pitiful.

"Where?" Sweets mutter, and Jughead just shrugs his shoulders and nods to the door. "Anywhere, just come on," he tells him before walking into the hallway and finally hearing Sweet Pea's footsteps following him. They walk quickly to exit doors and out into the cold air, breathing it in deeply. Some snowflakes are floating down, and Sweet Pea closes his eyes, letting the snowfall on his face. They make their way down to an old playground, long forgotten and tucked away in the woods. Sweet Pea crosses his arms and leans against the metal pole of the swing, still not saying a word. Jughead has climbed on top of the slide. As he hitches a leg up on top of the railing, not taking his eyes off of the tall Serpent.

"What's wrong, Sweet Pea?" he finally asks after nearly ten minutes of complete silence. Sweet Pea doesn't open his eyes to answer him but just shakes his head. Jughead groans before grabbing a granola bar, ripping the foil wrapping off before taking a large bite. "I know something is up with you." he muffles through the mouthful of the bar.

Sweet Pea breaths out angrily before uncrossing his arms and glares at Jughead. "Just fucking leave it, ok?" he snaps, but Jughead doesn't relent. Instead, he leaps off the slide and shuffles towards the boy, pushing him to talk.

"Do you want to go home?" Jug asks, but Sweet Pea instantly stiffens and looks away, visibly biting his lip before punching the metal pole so quickly and violently that Jughead jumps, narrowly avoiding the blood splatter from his now bleeding knuckles. He reaches forward to try and help him, but Sweet Pea leaps away, looking wild and angry. His brown hair is splattered over his forehead, and his wild eyes seem to be unable to focus. Jughead goes forward and grabs him by the forearms, but Sweet Pea rips himself away and stumbles backward, breathing harshly.

"Leave me alone!" Sweet Pea roars and runs off into the woods, leaving Jughead to stare at him and sigh, wondering what on earth is wrong with his friend.

In his trailer that night, Jughead scrolls through his phone, mindlessly looking at whatever post that Toni shared, which is a picture of Toni smiling with her camera. He rolls his eyes, leaning against the pillow before the loud ping of the message alert makes him jump, and he opens it quickly.

From: Sweet Pea.

U home?

He raises an eyebrow before typing a quick "yes" as a response. The sudden knocking at his window makes him leap out of his skin, and he falls out of the bed before rushing to the window, seeing the familiar brown eyes staring back at him from the other side. Jug groans before hitting his head and pointing to the door, knowing his dad was out drunk somewhere. Moments later, Sweet Pea comes into his room and immediately drops onto the bed, rubbing his eyes. Jughead is still next to the window, and he rubs his hand through his hair, waiting for Sweet Pea to speak, and finally, he does.

"I couldn't go home," he mutters before he finally shrugs off his leather jacket, letting it fall to the floor, and that's when Jughead sees the bruises on his body. He is only wearing an undershirt, and purple bruises are trailing across his whole torso, from his arms to his collarbone, which is usually covered by his long shirts. Jughead frowns before looking Sweet Pea up and down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jug asks, but Sweet Pea quickly shakes his head and swallows hard, before lying back on the bed, adjusting the grey tee shirt he's wearing, so it doesn't fold up. He notes how Sweet Pea is still in his jeans but does eventually kick off his boots.

"I can go to the couch," Jughead says as he begins padding his way to the couch, but a hand grabs him and hauls him back to the bed, sometimes he forgets how damn quick Sweet Pea can be, who had just pulled him back to the bed. He is caught off guard by this but doesn't protest as he falls into place beside Sweet Pea, only their shoulders touching. Jughead hates labels, so he never officially admitted to being attracted to particular genders, he just likes people for who they are. Sweet Pea always intrigued him, in a way he couldn't explain. He knows him well, but he still wants to see every part of him.

Sweet Pea is staring at the ceiling, not looking at Jughead, who is freely staring at him. "What do you want?" Jughead asks quietly, but Sweet Pea shakes his head. He doesn't know how to handle the silence, so instead, he carefully reaches up and traces his fingers over Sweet Pea's, who, in turn, twitches and then grabs hold of the smaller boys' hand. Sweet Pea rolls over silently, still gripping onto Jughead's palm, so he is pulled over and is now leaning against his back. He buries his face into Sweet Pea's broad shoulders, but when he turns a cheek, he hits a large purple bruise, which causes Sweet Pea to have a sharp intake of breath, and he squeezes his eyes shut.

"Fuck, sorry," Jughead says quickly before trying to move away, but Sweet Pea grips his hands and pulls him closer, still quiet. Jughead returns to his position, tucking his legs against his before putting his other arm up by Sweet's hair, running his fingers through the boy's dark locks. He sighs before shutting his eyes, refusing to say another word.

That's how they stayed the whole night; Sweet Pea tucked into Jughead's arms. At 5 am, he disappeared, and in school the next day, he barely looked at Jughead, and all his bruises were covered, and he was back to putting on the arrogant and cocky facade. At 3 pm, as Jughead made his way to the door, Sweet Pea brushed by him, and he felt his fingers graze his back, only for a moment. Jughead watches him swing out of the exit with Fangs, getting lost in the blur of students.

A minute later, his phone dings again; he looks down and sees the text, almost leaping off his phone.

From: Sweet Pea.

See u tonight?


	2. Chapter 2

Jughead lies down on the couch, a hand tucked under his chin, and his beanie rests precariously over his face. He shuts one of his eyes, and he is half-heartedly watching Nightmare Before Christmas. He has yet to hear from Sweet Pea, after answering his text this morning telling him he will be home. He can tell his dad was here for a few hours by the disruption in the kitchen and the tousled pillows and the messily scrawled note, telling Jug to eat, and he will see him in a few days.

He huffs before turning over on the couch, rubbing his eyes and draping an arm over his face. It would be nice if he could just sleep awhile, not worry about anything. He peeks one eye out and stares at his laptop, knowing he should do some writing but in no hurry to rise from the couch, but then sudden footsteps disrupt his restfulness. He jumps as he turns to see who is now walking into his trailer, only to see the familiar sight of Sweets kicking off his boots. He nods at Jughead in acknowledgment before sauntering over to the couch and dropping to the floor, resting his back against the sofa and leaning back, pressing his head against Jug's arm. Jughead hesitantly leans forward, using his hand to comb through his hair, not sure if he should say anything witty or not. Sweet Pea stiffens momentarily, but then leans back and breathes out, letting the boy's fingers run over his hair.

"You okay?" Jug inquires and, finally, Sweet Pea answers him. He sits up straighter, shrugging off his oversized plaid shirt, so it slides to the floor, and he is left bare-chested. Jughead's breath catches at the sight of his back; purple and blue bruises litter his back, running from his neck, down to his spine and ribs. He also notices cuts and scratches on the injuries, and what looks like cigarette butts. His hand stops immediately, and Sweet Pea instantly glances back, almost snarling.

"I'm fine. Just don't look at it," Sweet Pea tells Jug, waiting for Jug's eyes to leave his back and meet his eyes. Sweet Pea swivels around, so he is sitting cross-legged in front of him. He is still so tall that he must lean down so he can rest his chin on the edge of the couch, only a few inches away from Jug's face. Jug blinks before forcing himself to speak, balancing himself on his hand and staring at Sweets' dark eyes. Fuck, he can barely see his irises.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you started talking again. I thought you were just going to be mute forever," Jughead mutters before rolling his eyes and leaning back, shutting his eyes and letting his headrest on the arm of the couch. His eyes remain closed, as he hears Sweet Pea stand, then a second later, the boy is gently shoved into the couch cushions before Sweet Pea slips on to the couch behind him, before tucking his arm around Jughead's waist. His eyes open, and he glances back, as Sweet Pea tucks his face into the crook of his neck, and he is breathing slowly and deeply.

"What are you doing?" Jughead mumbles as he tucks his arm over Sweet's, bring him even closer to his body. The boy is so tall that his legs have folded into Jughead's, and he slumps over his body, but it is strangely comforting, like a big body pillow. 

"Don't tell anyone about this or I'll kill you," Sweet Pea murmurs before burying his face back into his neck. Jughead doesn't press him anymore; secretly, he loves it. He isn't sure if Sweet Pea does, or if he just enjoys not having to keep up the consistently tough persona continually. Tonight, in this little trailer, Sweet Pea has his first sense of comfort in years. He would never tell Jughead what he deals with on the daily, mainly because Sweet Pea doesn't want Jughead to feel like he has to fix it. That's what the wannabe journalist does best; try to fix things, but it won't work with Sweet Pea this time. 

Jughead opens his eyes again and listens quietly to Sweet's steady breathing and the little movements he has every so often. The twitch of his leg, the breath on his neck, and the feeling of his arms. His arms, which are now slipped around his waist, tightly. Jughead is determined to figure out Sweet Pea, in all ways what he went through before, what so happening now to make him crack like this. Sweet Pea is his new case to study, and he is excited about it- he never thought that this boy would ever show another vulnerable side to himself, and he wonders what else is hiding within the tall Serpent. He won't push him tonight, but with every night spent like this, his walls will continue to come down.


	3. Chapter 3

Jughead is happy that the next morning is a Saturday. He cracks an eye open at 8 am, silently cursing that he is up so early, but he is too comfortable to move. Sweet Pea nestles into his back, his breath slow and even. He usually prefers to sleep in more, but he knows Sweet's is having a harder time. 

He silently stands up and pads into the kitchenette, scowling when he sees the lack of food and supplies in the cupboards. FP wins father of the year award, again. He sees a single can of instant coffee and shrugs, at least it's something, he'll drag Sweet Pea out later to get food. He flicks his kettle on, fingers drumming on the counter as he waits for it to reach a boil. He glances out, seeing new snowflakes emerging from the sky. 

"Snowing again?" 

Jughead nearly leaps out of his skin at the sound. Sweet Pea is still there, shirtless, and smirking at the response, he evoked from Jug. "Jesus, since when are you quiet?" Jughead quips, rolling his eyes, but he can't help but return his glance at Sweet Pea's chest. Again, he sees bruises and scars littering his skin. Sweet Pea notices and quickly turns his back, opening a barren cupboard and snorting. 

"You have nothing to eat here," He notes, raising an eyebrow. 

Jughead rolls his eyes and continues drumming his fingers on the counter, waiting for the kettle, which only has a bit of steam rising. Damn, they need a new kettle. "I like eating, not cooking," he quips. 

"Believe me; everyone knows you like to eat. I cook, you know. I have to go back and check on Pop, see you." Sweet Pea declares and docs out of the kitchen, grabbing his jacket on his way out. Jughead didn't say goodbye, just stood on his tiptoes, and watched Sweet Pea stride out of the trailer and into the cold gravel yard. 

His kettle finally goes off, and he reaches for his chipped white mug and single clean teaspoon lying on the counter. He drops four heaping teaspoons into the cup and then adds the boiling water into the mug, watching the swirl of steam rise into the air. He breathes in the bitter scent before sipping it, not bothering to add anything. He is still feeling tired, so he is hoping this will help.   
Jughead has been avoiding checking his phone, mainly because he's worried about seeing a text from Betty, or seeing nothing from her. It's stupid, and it's evident that Betty was angry about Jughead trying to protect her, but he couldn't help it, he loved her too much to want her to get tangled up with the Serpents. 

Ironically, the phone text tone dings. Jughead huffs before walking to his bed, where the phone lies. Jughead practically has his eyes closed as he checks his phone, seeing just a check-in from Archie. As he strolls back to the kitchenette, he sees several empty bottles of vodka littering the ground. 

"Fuck sakes' dad," Jug growls as he kicks the bottle harshly, making it fly to the other side of the room. He feels his anger rising, but he tries his best just to ignore it. The laptop is lying precariously on the couch, and he swipes it, plopping down on the couch and ready to ignore his feelings about his deadbeat dad. 

"You forgot your coffee," 

Jughead nearly tumbles off the couch. Sweet Pea is standing behind him, smirking, holding his coffee and a brown paper bag. Jughead is breathing heavily and holding his chest. "Christ, you're quiet when you want to be." 

Sweet Pea walks over, shoving the mug into his hands and dropping the bag of food onto Jughead's lap. "I didn't want you to be hungry, and I owe you for letting me crash in your house," Sweet Pea murmurs huffily, before once again leaving the trailer. 

Jughead watches him intently before poking his head into the paper bag, seeing a homemade bagel breakfast sandwich and an apple. He can tell that Sweet Pea didn't buy this from a restaurant; he must have sprinted home, made it quickly, and sprinted back, which explains why he seemed to be out of breath. Jughead smirks, before getting his phone and typing in Sweet Pea's number. 

From: Jughead.  
Thx.

A moment later, his phone dings again. 

From: Sweet Pea.  
See u tonight? 

He smirks, taking a bite of the sandwich, and typing out a response immediately. 

From: Jughead.   
Of course. Can't wait.


	4. Chapter 4

Sweet Pea dodges the plate that was thrown at his head, grimacing as it shatters against the trailer wall. He stands and turns back to his drunken father, who is practically foaming at his mouth as he crawls across the stained carpet to try and beat his son. 

“You disgust me, boy,” he snarls, and Sweet Pea quickly ducks out of the trailer without looking back. He is breathing hard, refusing to let the tears spill out of his eyes. His throat is choked up, and Sweet Pea hates this feeling. The dim lights of the broken streetlight cast down on him as he quickly forces his feet to begin walking. The icy air makes his breath heavy, and he can feel the damn tears on his cheeks. 

Sweet Pea’s hands are trembling, but he holds the bag of groceries for dinner at Jughead. He picks up his phone, hands still shaking, and dials Jughead’s number quickly. It takes a few tries for the boy to answer. 

“Hey, Sweet Pea, what’s up?” Jughead answers, somewhat casually. He was writing on his laptop. Sweet Pea sniffs hard and coughs before trying to answer, but Jughead immediately cuts him off. “Hey, Sweets, are you okay? Where are you?”

“Um, by the school. Are you free?” Sweet Pea finally chokes out. 

“Yes, of course. I’ll come to meet you,” Jughead says quickly and hangs up the phone. He’s already up out of his couch, hopping on one foot while he ties his boots. He practically runs out of the trailer and into the icy air. He is almost sprinting through the dimly lit streets until he sees the tall silhouette sitting on the ground. 

Sweet Pea has his knees pressed up against his chest, and his eyes are bloodshot red. The bag of groceries is still beside him, and he is shivering in the cold air. Jughead runs forward, shrugging off his sweater and draping it over the large boys quivering shoulders. Jughead kneels and looks at Sweet Pea, right in his eyes. 

“I won’t clean my room for you, but the bed is waiting. You can stay with me, for as long as you need. Also, I bought you a cheap pair of sweats,” Jughead tells him, forcing a smile. 

Sweet Pea pushes the bag towards his friend and nods. “I’ll make you spaghetti.” 

Jughead stands up, extending his hand. Sweet Pea stares at it for a moment before accepting it, feeling happier and safer than he has in years.


End file.
